Railway rail leveling and anchoring device



June 10, 1947. E, CHANCE 2,421,992

RAILWAY RAIL LEVELING AND ANCHORING DEVICE Filed March 22, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4734 (7/2 IZ"."f {'7 4 y A I 2 I June 10,1947. C,AE, CHANCE RAILWAY RAIL LEVELING AND AN'GHORING DEVICE 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 1946 Patented June 10, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT oFricE RAILWAY RAIL LEVELING AND ANCHORING DEVICE Charles E..Chance, Washington, D. C.

Application March 22, 1946, Serial No. 656,262

.6 Claims. 1

My invention relates to the maintenance of a a justment of the support under a rail. On a curve,

there will be particularly heavy impact on one end of a tie which will tend to displace an un usually large amount of ballast from under the end of the tie. My adjustable chair unit can be substituted for the usual type of non-adjustable chair on one or both ends of such ties, as conditions require.

The two pieces constituting my chair unit are adapted to be placed under a rail in position, and substituted as desired for the usual type of chair, without removing the rail.

It is an object of my invention to provide a two-piece railroad chair unit adapted to be inserted between a tie and the base" of the rail, whose height can be adjusted and whose upper and lower faces are parallel.

Another object of my invention is to provide a two-piece adjustable. chair unit adapted to be inserted under a rail in position without removing the rail.

A-further object of my invention is to provide a chair unit which is adjustable for maintaining a firm support under the rail at each tie.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

My invention and its mode of operation will be readily understood by persons skilled in the art by reference to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the parts of my chair unit assembled with a portion of a rail.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the wedge member in process of being assembled with the chairof my unit.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the locking spike holes of the wedge member.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view or the chair taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 2.

. 2 Fig. 5 is an elevation with parts in section of the rails and a chair unit mounted on a tie,

showing the arrangementemployed when ballast has been forced away from under one end of a tie. Fig. 6 is an assembled view of a chair unit showing a modified form of rail engaging memare located lateral guides 6.

ber, and l Fig. 7 is a side viewof the rail engaging member of Fig. 6. a

The chair heretofore used byrailroads has an upper supporting face or seat whichis parallel to the base of the chair which rests on the tie, and is also parallel with the base of the rail which the chair supports directly on its upper face.

I provide a chair having an upper surface or seat which is inclined along the direction of the length of the rail with reference to the plane of the base of the chair and the base of the rail.

I provide a wedge or shim member adapted to be fitted between the base of the rail and the chair seat. The angle of -the wedge is Substantially the same as the angle of inclination of the chair seat, so that when the wedge rests upon the chair seat, the upper surface of the wedge is parallel with the chair base. My wedge member is driven onto the chair seat and under the rail between the side guides of the chair. The wedge member has flanges adapted to engage grooves formed in the side guides of the chair seat. The wedge member is of substantially the same width as the chair seat between guides. The upper surface of the wedge member is provided with lugs adapted to engage the base of the rail, whereby it may be driven along the length of the rail. The angle of inclination of the chair seat, and the angle of the wedge, is preferably about 5 to. 7 but may be any desired angle. To meet particular conditions, as on curves, I may employ a plurality of superposed wedge or shim members.

Referring to the drawings in,detail,in Figure I is a rail and 2 is a road bed tie. My two-piece chair unit comprises a chair member 3 and the wedge or shim member 4. Chair member 3 has an upper face or seat 5 on the edges of which The guides 6. are provided with grooves or recesses I. The seat 5 is inclined at a relatively small angle to the bottom face or base of chair member 3. The bottom face 8 of wedge or shim member 4 is inclined at a relatively small angle to the upper face 4a 1 of wedge member 4. V The angles of inclination of members 3 and 4 should be substantially equal, so that when wedge member .4 is placed with its inclined face on the inclined face of chair membe! 3 in complementary position as shown in Figure 1, the upper face 4a of wedge member 4 will be substantially parallel to the base 3a of chair member 3.

Wedge member 4 is provided with flanged edges 9 and is of such width as to fit easily but snugly between grooves I of guides 6 of chair member 3.

Wedge member 4 is provided with two or more lugs I adapted to fit over and engage the edge I3 of the base of rail I. Desirably, as shown in Figure 1, the lugs II! are positioned on opposite corners of wedge member 4, but additional lug members may be positioned on wedge member 4, as shown for instance at lb of Figure 2.

Chair member 3 is provided with usual spike holes II by which it is spiked to the tie 2. The seat of chair member 3 is provided near its edges and adjacent guides 6 with rows of additional spike holes I4. Wedge member 4 is provided adjacent its edges with rows of spike holes [2 adapted to register with spike holes I4 in th seat of ehair 3. When wedge member 4 has been driv n r tamp d to fi nu between the rail base and the chair seat so that the tie is resting firmly on the road bed and all necessary adjustent h e been a pik a d n through registered spike holes I2 and I4 to lock wedge member 4 sec ly i p e- Figure 2 shows the process of placing a Wedge membe 4 n o en ing posi o with a chair m mber 3 hich i pos io ed on t p 3 ie 4 An diaee i ti 2a s sho n sp c a t usual distance rom he '2- W -m be 4 is passed der rail 'h t en t e ti s nd s en raised so that one lug I0 can be swung to engage one edge i3 o frail l. Wedgemember 4 is raisedand swung farther betweengthe ties until its other lug I0 engages the opposite edge I3 0f the base oflrail I. There may be provided also the additignal lug I'Ilb on wedge member 4 to further enga e d e I3 o ra l I hen th w d e mem-- her 4 has thus been swunginto tight engagement with the edges oitl e'base of rail I so that he ed es f edge memb 4 e sub y ara le ith the edge o e b e o h a l, he ed e o ed e member w easily ga he groo es l o t a era gu es 8 of a On accou t or h ineiina i h oi th en a i aces o ch 3 a d we seme r 4 he is: an e t ee he lo er face or ch ir 3 in c nt ith. he tie a th up e ace i edge embe 4 1 91 WhlQh the il base sts, Will depend on how far wedge member 4'i's driven into and over the seat 5 of chair member 3', As shown in the figures, chair member*& is positioned with its lateral guides 6 parallel to the edges of rail. i, and wedge member 4 is driven in the direction of the length of the rail betweenguides G. The lugs I0 carried by wedge member 4 and which engage the edges of the base ofrail' I slide along the edges of the rail as wedge member 4; is thus driven.

Wedge member 4 is driven along the seat of chair 3 until one or more spike holes I2 inwedgemember 4 is in register with a spike hole 14 of chair member 3, so that a spike can be; driven through'lholes, I2 and I4 into tie 2 to lock wedge member 4 in place and maintain a support of determined'thickness between the base of rail I and the top of tie 2;

Figure '5, shows, the application of one of my chair units under onerail ofa track over a tie ata point. where bal-lasthas been forced out from under the tie as at' a sharp curve".

Figure 6 shows a modified and adjustable iorm of two-piece lug member attached towedge memher 4 for holding wedge member 4 i tight engagement with the edge I3 of the base of rail I. These modified lug members are also positioned on the edges of wedge member 4. This modified form of lug consists of a vertically projecting shoulder I! provided with a horizontal slot through which wedge-form retaining member I8 is driven into engagement with the edge of the rail base. Wedge-form retaining member I8 may be split as shown at I9 to provide a tight fit in the slot in shoulder H. The spikes by which chair 3 is secured to the tie through spike holes II are shown at 20.

As has been stated, the angle of inclination of the seat of chair 3 with reference to its base is desirably of the order of magnitude of 7, but may be any desired angle to meet a particular condition. Likewise, the angle between the upper and lower faces of wedge member 4, which should be substantially the same as the angle of inclination of the seat of chair 3, is preferably of the order of 7, but may have any desired value.

An unusual condition may occur whereby an unusually large amount of ballast is removed from under an end of one or more ties at a particular spot. To meet such a condition, I provide a plurality of superposed wedge members or shims arranged in mutually complementary relation to build up supporting structure between the chair and the base of the rail. In such a arrangement, the lower one of the wedge members or shims is provided with flanged edges to engage the grooves I of guides 6 of chair 3, but such lower shim is not provided with the lugs ill. The intermediate shims or wedge members are not provided with lugs II], and need not be provided with flanged edges 9. The uppermost one of such superposed wedge members or shims is provided with opposed lugs ID similar to those shown on wedge member 4 in Figure 1. By providing a plurality of such shims for mutually inclined surfaces, and by driving them along the length of the rail and locking them by spikes driven through spike holes therein, in a manner heretofore described, it is possible to obtain a firm'support forany desired spacing between the base of the rail and the seat of the chair on the tie. The shims may have flanges on the lower edges and lugs on the upper edges adapted to interlock.

In operation, at a tie which is not supported by sufficient ballast, the usual form of non-adjustable chair is removed from under the rail by pulling the spikes, and my form of chair with inclined seat is substituted for the withdrawn ordinary chair, and spikes into position on the top through outer spike holes I I. Wedge or shim member 4 is then swung into position through the space between the tie to which the new chair is applied and the adjoining tie with its inclined face engaging inclined seat of chair 3.. When the flanged edges 9 of wedge member 4 are in engagement with grooves I of guides 6' of chair 3, the wedge member 4 is driven as far as is nece sary along the direction of the rail between de 6, in order to force the base of chair 3 and therewith tie 2 downward until the bottom of tie 2 is in firm contact with the ballast under the tie. Whatever small adjustment may be necessary is then made in the position of wedge member 4 so that spikeholes H! therein shall register with spike holes I4 in the seat of chair 3, and spikes are then driven through these registered holes to lock wedge member 4 in place. A firm locked support for the rail at this point is then provided, and a smooth operation of railroad trains thereover is assured.

Manifestly, the construction herein shown is capable Of considerable modification and such modifications as come within the scope of my claims, I consider within the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A railway tie plate and tie resetting device comprising a chair member mounted upon and secured to the tie, a seat inclined with respect to the horizontal and also with respect to the direction of rail length formed on the upper face of said chair member, a wedge member, means for detachably connecting said wedge member to the base flange of the rail in such a manner that it may be driven along the length of the rail, the lower face of said wedge member being slidably mounted upon said inclined seat of the chair member and means extending through said chair member and wedge member for connecting the same together.

2. A railway tie plate of the character described comprising a chair member mounted upon and secured to the tie, a seat inclined with respect to the horizontal and also with respect to the direction of rail length formed on the upper face of said chair member, guide members formed with said chair member and located along the opposite sides of said seat, a wedge member mounted upon said inclined seat and slidably arranged between said guide members, said flange engaging lugs formed with said wedge member in such a manner that the latter may be driven on said chair member along the length of the rail and means for rigidly connecting together said wedge member and chair member.

3. A railway tie plate of the character described comprising a chair member consisting of a rectangular plate having a flat lower face adapted to be seated upon the tie, a seat inclined with respect to the horizontal and also with respect to the direction of rail length formed on the upper face of said plate, guide members formed with said plate and extending along the opposite sides of said inclined seat, a wedge member adapted to receive the base flange of the rail, lugs formed with the upper face of said wedge member for engaging the base flange of the rail in such a manner that the wedge member may be guided and driven along the length of the rail, the lower face of said wedge member being slideably arranged upon said inclined seat between said guide members and said wedge member and chair plate having spike aligning openings formed therein whereby they may be connected together for locking said wedge member against sliding movement within said chair member.

4. A railway tie plate of the character described comprising a chair member consisting of a rectangular plate having a fiat lower face adapted to be supported upon the tie, a seat inclined with respect to the horizontal and also with respect to thedireotion of rail length formed on the upper face of said plate, guide members formed with said plate and arranged on the opposite sides of said inclined seat, the opposed ends of said plate having spike openings formed therein whereby said chair member may be secured to the tie, a wedge member comprising a rectangular plate having an upper face capable of receiving the base flange of the rail and a lower inclined face adapted to slide upon said inclined seat between said guide members, the angle of inclination of the lower face of said wedge member and said inclined seat being substantially equal, lugs formed with the opposed ends of said wedge member and engageable with the rail in such manner that said wedge member may be driven on said chair member along the length of the rail, and means for adjustably and detachably connecting together said wedge member and chair member,

5. A railway tie plate of the character described comprising a chair member consisting of a rectangular plate having a flat lower face adapted to be supported upon the tie, a seat formed on the upper face of said chair inclined with respect to said lower face of said plate and extending laterally of said plate, a pair of U-shaped guide members formed on said upper face of said plate and positioned one on each side of said seat, the outer end portions of said plate having spike openings formed therethrough, a wedge member comprising a rectangular plate having a flat upper face for receiving the base of the rail and a lower fiat face inclined with respect to said upper face of said wedge member, said lower face of said wedge member having projections formed contiguous from the sides thereof and capable of being slideably mounted in said guide members of said chair plate, the angle of inclination of the lower faces of said wedge member and said inclined seat being substantially equal, U-shaped lugs formed with the opposed ends of said wedge member and engageable with the rail in such a manner that said wedge member may be driven on said chair member along the length of the rail, and means for adjustably and detachably connecting together said wedge member and said chair member.

6. A railway tie plate of the character described comprising a chair member consisting of a rectangular plate having a flat lower face, a flat seat formed on the upper face of said chair plate extending laterally thereof and inclined with respect to said lower face, a pair of U-shaped guide members mounted on said upper face and positioned one on each side of said seat with the open ends thereof facing one another, the outer end portions of said plate having spike openings formed therethrough, a wedge member comprising a rectangular plate having a flat upper face and a fiat lower face inclined longitudinally of said wedge with respect to said wedge member upper face, the sides of said wedge member having projections formed extending therefrom parallel to the lower face of said wedge member and capable of being slideably mounted within the open end of said U-shaped guide members, the angle of inclination of the lower faces of said wedge member and said inclined seat being substantially equal, lugs formed on each side of the upper face of said wedge member in parallel lines and engageable with the rail for slideably retaining said wedge member to the rail and said chair member and said wedge member each having a series of spike openings formed therethrough extending longitudinally of the upper faces of said members and capable of registering upon relative movement of said members.

CHARLES E. CHANCE. 

